Viral infections and microbial infections of the viscerocranium (also called splachnocranium), i.e. of the nostrils and/or paranasal cavities, that include one or more of the maxillary sinuses (Rg), the frontal sinuses (Re), the ethmoidal sinuses or air cells (Rs), and/or the sphenoidal sinuses (Rw), form part of one of the basic health problems of humans of any age and have been major issues requiring solutions, ideas and actions from the medical community over the years.
Infections of the viscerocranium can affect one or more of a) the lower and/or upper respiratory system, b) the ears, c) the tonsils, d) children's teeth, e) sleep apnea, etc.
Researchers and medical device manufacturers, acknowledging the great benefits to humans of having a healthy respiratory system, continuously try to find ways to inject therapeutic solutions to the paranasal sinuses. Many existing devices use various techniques but only partially achieve a cleaning of the nostrils from excretions and do not succeed in injecting in a controlled manner therapeutic solutions to the paranasal sinuses.
It is also known that for the treatment of disorders of the upper respiratory and the cranium visceral sea water may be used due to its anaplastic, healing and/or hypertonic characteristics.
Proper use of sea water may relieve nasal irritation and/or restore normal function by its anti-pro-inflammatory and/or cell—regenerative characteristics, which may be superior over those of normal saline.
For an understanding of the utility of sea water in a human organism, its characteristics and its action shall be first described.
Sea water, as it is known, is a hypertonic liquid due to the increased content of NaCl (9 g/l) as well as due to the more than 80 minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and other elements that it contains, a composition that may give great osmotic ability and/or important nutritional and healing value.
However, other liquids, such as medicinal liquids, e.g. antibiotic solutions, for the upper respiratory system or liquids containing extracts of herbal plants may also or alternatively be beneficial for the upper respiratory and more specifically for the viscerocranium. Examples of herbal plants may include, among others, chamomile, eucalyptus, dittany of Crete or hop marjoram (Origanum dictamnus).
The phenomena of osmosis and/or nutritional and healing action in order to give desirable benefits may necessarily require contact of the hypertonic sea water, or other liquids as described herein, with the mucosa of the ducts or the sinuses of the nose for a sufficient period of time of stable application.
A Valsalva maneuver or exercise is a method of exhalation through the nose with closed nostrils and is applied for the handling of arrhythmias and/or for the equalization of atmospheric pressure of the tympanic membrane. Using a Valsalva exercise, pressure is applied towards the nasal canals and nasal cavities.
Currently, sea water is used for cleaning of nasal cavities with simple cleaning devices by spraying or continuous flow and may follow a direct absorption of the water. By these prior processes, the time provided can typically not be enough, as well as providing an insufficient minimum pressure of a fixed column of water and the consequent failure of impulsion of a Valsalva maneuver, which may provide for the water to enter in the nasal canals and the ducts of the nasal cavities and the osmotic phenomenon to take place, and therefore the healing result is not obtained.
This fact constitutes a vacancy in existing medical practice, worldwide, that the present developments come to fulfill. For a better understanding some elements of the physiology and pathology of the upper respiratory system shall be explained.
The respiratory system is subject to continuous risks of viral diseases and microbial infections, mainly in winter.
The respiratory system is armed with various systems of protection, one of them being the mucosa of the nasal cavities. These provide a main respiratory route and a filter of inhaled air from various suspended particulates and microorganisms.
Simultaneously the nasal cavity has a nest of prevalence of populations of viruses and microbes for a very large period throughout the entire year, mainly in winter, that are mainly the cause of development of various infections of the upper and lower respiratory system, namely of the nasal sinuses and more specifically of the supramaxillary hiatus.
These infections usually conclude to a sub-acute form with mild signs from the nasal cavity and often acquire the characteristics of chronicity and as a result they turn to new resources of microbe carriers and infections.
This phenomenon concerns all ages but mainly younger people and especially children.
By this way the nasal cavities and nasal sinuses are transformed, from protection bodies of the respiratory system, to nests of small or greater infections.
The mucosa of the nasal sinuses is subject to disorders such as edema, fattening, dryness, hyperemia, hypertrophy and obstruction of the free passage and cleaning of inhaled air.
The problem becomes even worse by the encumbrance of the environment mainly of urban centers, the dryness of air in residences (air conditioners, heating bodies etc.) that results in further decaying the mucosa, the dehydration of the excreta disposed in the surface of the endothelium and therefore obstruction of the natural air ducts, difficulty in channeling of excreta of the nasal sinuses and impedance of the free passage of air.
Structural and operational disorders of the cranium visceral in combination with the encumbrance of the mucosa of the air ducts of the oral part of the pharynx, trachea and bronchus due to encumbered environmental conditions, decrease defensive ability and form suitable ground for easier development of infections, more specifically when the organism is exposed to adverse conditions of cold, extreme fatigue, unrest, abuses etc.
So maintenance of clear and healthy nasal cavities and nasal sinuses of human beings must be part of proper medical, family and/or personal care.
Continuous systematic research of the international medical community has resulted in recommendations of hygienic living conditions and treatments, aiming for support of the immunologic ability of the organism and prevention of infections of the upper and lower respiratory system.
Nursing and care for the hygiene of the upper respiratory system and mainly of the nasal cavity and nasal sinuses targets on the one hand maintenance of a healthy mucosa and disinfection of the cavities and on the other hand on sanitation, when chronic disorder and decay exists.
For accomplishment hereof topical use may be made of various preparations among which are sea water or extracts of herbal plants.
Useful information for the benefits and the time of application of sea water may be taken for example from bathers using swimming masks for e.g. 30 to 60 minutes.
During swimming with masks the nasal bags of a mask are filled with sea water that then fills the nasal cavities of the swimmer, these nasal cavities then staying filled during the time period of swimming. The nasal bags assist in providing a hydrostatic external pressure to part of the sea water which comes to the nasal sinuses and from time to time is removed by periodic ingestion by the swimmer, and therefore the nasal cavities, the oral part of the pharynx and/or the mouth of the Eustachian channels are cleared.
During ingestion with closed nostrils as in swimming with a mask, the elevation of the soft palate for the isolation of the oral part of the pharynx from the mouth pharynx, opens the Eustachian channels and presses or pushes the water into the nasal ducts, where the excretory ducts of the nasal sinuses discharge, by forming a variation of an automated Valsalva exercise.
By the pressure enforced by the ingestion's movement of the soft palate, the water is gradually pushed inside the ducts and mainly via the sinus foramen the supramaxillary hiatus is filled.
During swimming where the nasal cavity and ducts remain full with a stable quantity of sea water under pressure, a sufficient period is offered for the hypertonic characteristic of sea water to assist in providing an osmotic phenomenon together with the assistance of movements of a Valsalva exercise the mucosa of the nasal cavities and nasal sinuses may be cleared.
After swimming it is noted that for a long lasting period often even more than an hour, a large quantity of fluid, or semi-fluid up to a high viscosity white, off white or yellow green may be aborted from the nose of the swimmer.
Such excretions may derive either from the mucosa of the nasal cavity and/or the nasal conchae and/or from the nasal and/or paranasal sinuses, which by osmosis and cleaning were removed from those cavities cleaning those ducts and the excretory ducts. By this way the relevant mucosa may be healthfully treated and/or renewed.
Exposure of nasal cavities to sea water is beneficial to the upper and to the lower respiratory system.
Driven by the above set forth herein are the developments of methods and devices that may at least partially resolve one or more of the aforementioned problems while providing benefits of therapeutic liquids to and/or in the nasal and/or paranasal cavities.